Flower press

ABSTRACT

Drying agent is placed on the bottom of a press having upstanding sidewalls. A soft, thin, sponge-like material layer is placed over the drying agent; a thin sheet of tissue paper is placed over the sponge-like material; flowers or plants are placed on the tissue; a second tissue is placed over the flowers or plants; successive layers of sponge-like material, tissue, flowers, tissue, sponge-like material are placed one on top of the other in close fitting relationship with the sidewalls of the press. The final upper sponge extends upward above an upper rim of the sidewalls of the press; a porous container holding drying agent is mounted within an airtight fitting cover. The cover and tray press downward on the sponge-like material, compressing the successive layers as the cover is closed to its airtight sealing position. The flowers and plants quickly dry with moisture quickly passing through the papers and sponge-like layers to the drying agent, preserving the bright colors of the specimens and avoiding color destructive oxidation.

waited States Patent [1 1 Stephan Dec. 10, 1974 FLOWER PRESS Barbara B.Stephan, 4334 Round Top Dr., Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 221 Filed: on. 3,197-3 21 Appl. No.: 403,266

[76] Inventor:

*[52] US. Cl. 34/95, 34/71 [51] Int. Cl. F261) 13/26 [58] Field ofSearch 34/71, 69, 70, 95, 143-146, 34/80; 100/92, 233, 234, 113, 114,115;

Wertheim 34/95 Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague AssistantExaminer-James C. Yeung Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James C. Wray 5 7]ABSTRACT Drying agent is placed on the bottom of a press havingupstanding sidewalls. A soft, thin, sponge-like material layer is placedover the drying agent; a thin sheet of tissue paper is placed over thesponge-like material; flowers or plants are placed on the tissue; asecond tissue is placed over the flowers or plants; successive lay ersof sponge-like material, tissue, flowers, tissue, sponge-like materialare placed one on top w of the other in close fitting relationship withthe sidewalls of the press. The final upper sponge extends upward abovean upper rim of the sidewalls of the press; a porous container holdingdrying agent is mounted within an airtight fitting cover. The cover andtray press downward on the sponge-like material, compressing thesuccessive layers as the cover is closed to its airtight sealingposition. The flowers and plants quickly dry with moisture quicklypassing through the papers and sponge-like layers to thedrying agent,preserving the brightcolors of the specimens and avoiding colordestructive oxidation.

13 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDHEHO 19M 3.852.891

SHEET 1 0F 3 FIG 2.

FLOWER PRESS The secret of making good botanical specimens is rapiddrying. The more rapidly they are dried, the better the color ispreserved, and the less likely the leaves are to drop off, or thespecimens to get moldy or decayed.

F. R. Fosberg. Plant Collecting Manualfor Field Anlhrupologirts, p. 15.

The traditional method of drying plants consists of placing plantmaterial between sheets of newspaper or blotting paper, covering thepaper with heavy weights or strapping tightly in a press to exertpressure, and waiting until the specimens dry. Depending on the type offlower, the moisture content of the leaves, and the temperature andhumidity of the surrounding atmosphere, the drying process may take fromI to 6 or more weeks. Unfortunately, the pigments of many-- perhapsmostplants cannot survive unharmed for this length of time in asemimoist environment. Long before the drying process is complete, thecolors of flowers and leaves are likely to have altered or to haveturned completely brown.

Botanists, who require superior specimens, employ various refinements tospeed drying. Ventilators of a material such as corrugated cardboard areplaced between plant layers to increase air circulation, and dampblotters are changed often during the drying'process. To cope with thedifficult problem of equalizing pressure on plant parts of differentthicknesses, cotton batting is often inserted over the plant specimen.Under ideal conditions, the plant press is exposed to the warm,circulating air of an electric dryer, thus speeding the drying andimproving the preservation of plant color.

Even botanical techniques, however, have certain drawbacks. Whenblotters are changed the plants are in a flaccid state, and fragilematerials are likely to wrinkle or tear when being moved. The cottonpadding used to equalize pressure is timeconsuming and awkward to apply;it also becomes misshapen quickly. When an electric dryer isunavailable,'the collector is forced to resort to such unsatisfactoryexpedients as suspending the press over an open fire or fastening it tothe side of a moving car. The weight and bulk of the plant filledpress'along with fresh blotters and other materials which must be kepton hand greatly limits the mobility of the collector. The drying processis very much dependent on weather conditions, and even under idealcircumstances may take a week or longer to complete.

Methods for plant collecting and drying are described in publications ofthe British Museum (Natural History) Department of Botany How to Collectand Preserve 'Plan'ts, November, 1951, DS 99730/4/44 lm 1 1/51 TL, andSuggestions and Points to Remember When Collecting Plant SpecimensIntended for a Herbarium. RR/CUT 9.1269

A heavy flower press using a parallel screw-driven rigid platen forceddownward on loose particulate drying agent packed'above and below paperwrapped flowers is described in Japanese patent application Sho 44-30169(1969). A small quantity of flowers are loosely laid in a heavylaboratory-type press, which requires great time and effort to open andclose.

Disclosures of drying methods and apparatus are collected in Class 34 ofOfficial United States Patent Office Classifications of inventions.

A need persists for light weight field-portable presses which arecapable of drying a great quantity of flowers, which are easilyaccessible for inspection throughout a drying process, and which retainas closely as possible their original flower color.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The method and apparatus proposed involves theuse of airtight containers, drying agents, and layers of a porous,compressible, soft, sponge-like material such as foam rubber orpolyurethane foam. Drying agents are placed in bottoms of presses, andenough foam layers are stacked on top to reach well above the rims.Plants to be dried are placed between adjacent layers of foam. Whendesirable, sheets of thin, porous material such as facial tissue ortissue paper are placed above and below the plant specimens to ensuresmooth plant surfaces when dried. The presses are closed, compressingthe sponges, and flattening the plant material. When the presses haveseparate lids, straps or clamps hold the lids in place. In the case ofhinged tops, latches hold the presses closed without straps. Y

The foam rubber or other sponge-like materials which hold plants inplace in the press have the unique advantage of conforming to the shapeof the plant material. Thick and thin parts, even if closely juxtaposed,receive equal pressure, resulting in flat, unwrinkled specimens withoutthe use of cotton or other padding.

Thick stems or other plant parts are never crushed, and

thin or fragile materials dry without bruising or injury. The spongesresume their normal shape when the plant material is removed, and do notneed to be replaced or renewed. The sponges are sufficiently strong topermit lifting one or more layers without breaking or severely bendingplant specimens.

Moisture is'not retained in blotters next to the plant material but isdrawn away by the drying agent. There is thus no need to-disturb thespecimens by changing papers.

The drying action begins as soon as plant materials are inserted, andcontinues irrelevant of the temperature or humidity of the atmosphereoutside the press.

.No elaborate ventilators or heaters are necessary.

The press is extremely lightweight and portable, and can be easilycarried into the field on collecting trips.

Since the sponges do not collect moisture, they need no drying outperiod. Fresh material can be inserted in the press as soon as processedmaterial is taken out. When the drying agent is no longer absorbent, itis reactivated by heating to expel the moisture. The agent is thusindefinitely reusable. Insect life apparently cannot survive the dryatmosphere of the press; thus finished specimens are insect free.

A great advantage of the proposed press is the speed with which dryingtakes place. Many plants dry within a half day. Few require more than 2or-3 days in the press. As a result, the preservation of natural coloris far superior to color preservation when traditional methods are used,and the whole process of drying and pressing the plants is greatlyspeeded.

.T he press is made of metal, plastic, wood, or any other nonporous,preferably lightweight material. The press has a relatively tightfitting lid to prevent absorbtion of moisture from the environment. Thelid is held in place by a strap or other similar device, or it is hingedand self-closing and locking.

Various thickness of foam rubber. polyurethane or other sponge-likematerial are used depending on the thickness of the plant material to bepressed. 3/8 or 1/2 inch foam has proved suitable for even the bulkiestspecimens. US to 1 inch foam pads are useful.

Silica gel, Drierite (calcium sulfate), activated alumina or any numberof other drying agents may be used. The drying agent may be insertedloose in the bottom of the press. Preferably, the drying agent ispackaged in a porous, heat resistant packet. Rigid drying agent carriersconstructed of foraminous metallic materials are preferred. Wire mesh orwoven fiberglass cloth containers may be used. Used packages areinserted into an oven to be reactivated. For particularly deepcontainers containing a large number of sponges, the drying agentpackage are inserted between layers of sponge medially in the stack tohelp increase drying power. A package of drying agent holds a quantityof the drying agent at the top as well as the bottom of the press-In onepreferred embodiment soft foam sponges are compressed around specimensin a press which is open for hot air or sun drying.

One object of the invention is the provision of quick drying presses andpressing methods for botanical objects, particularly flowers and plantspecimens using multiple layers of foam compressed in a substantiallyairtight press with drying agent at the bottom of the 'press and at thetop of the press and porous flexible packages.

Another object of the invention is the provision of closed presses whichcompress soft foam sponges to firmly hold plant specimens withoutcrushing during drying in the press.

These and other objects and features of the inventionare apparent inthedisclosure which includes the specificat-ion with the foregoing andongoing description and the claims, and which includes the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSReferring to FIG. 1, a press is generally indicated by the numeral 1.The press has a lower portion 3 with a flat base and surroundingupstanding sidewalls. A cover 5 fits over the lower portion. The coverhas a substantially flat top with downward extending sidewalls whichtightly surround the sidewalls of the lower portion to retard ingress ofair. The cover portion and lower por- I tion are easily assembled anddisassembled 'so that sponges and plants and drying agents may be placedin the lower portion and may be removed therefrom. A strap 6 surroundsthe lower and cover portions. The

strap 6 is constructed of fabric webbing or other flexible material. Ahook 7 is connected to one end of the strap, and the hook engages bar 9,which is linked to a pivot 10 fastened to the opposite end of the strap.The link pulls bar 9 and hook 7 to the left, as lever 11 is moved to theright. An over-the-center locking arrangement holds the hook 7 and bar 9in the left most position, with the handle of the lever 11 pressingdownward on the top of cover 5.

The press lower section is filled with multiple layers of sponge-likematerial 14 which fit closely within the sidewalls of the lower section3. Drying agent 15 is disposed within packages 1 6 which comprise porousmetal containers or fabric sacks preferably made of a high temperatureresistant material. Non-corroding foraminous metal containers arepreferred. Fabric made from glass fibers is acceptable.

Plant materials 17 are interposed between successive adjacent layers ofsponge-like material 14.

The sponge and interposed plant materials are stacked well above anupper rim of the sidewalls on the lower portion 3. The top is presseddownward before closing to slightly compress the soft sponges and toplace pressure on the plant materials, without crushing the materials.Preferably the plant materials 17 are placed between thin sheets oftissue paper before being placed between the sponge-like members 14,50that the plant materials may be easily lifted from the sponge materialswhen drying is completed.

Experience indicates that the sponges and tissues permit movement ofmoisture toward the drying materials 15 through multiple layers.

When there are many materials in a box, a packet of drying materials maybe placed atop the uppermost layer of sponge-like material to promotequick drying. In some cases, it is useful to interpose a packet 16 between sponges medially located in an array of sponges to furtherpromote'quick drying and to insure an adequate supply of drying agent inthe press.

In FIG. 3 a field-type collecting press is generally referred to by thenumeral 30. The press 30-is similar .to press 1 shown in FIG. 1.

A unique portion of press 30 is upper package 31 which has a wire meshor perforated metal bottom 32 for holding a quantity of drying agentsabove the upper-v most layer of sponges. The container is constructed ofa heat resistant material so that the entire package 31 may be removedfrom the press and may be placed in an oven for heating, drying andreactivating the dessi- 1 cant material.

Container 31 is mounted in the lid so that the closing of the covercreates a uniform downward force on the sponge array. The cover portionof the box is equipped a latch which is used to hold the cover downward.Sidewalls 41 have lower rims which mate. with upper rims ofcorresponding bottom portion sidewalls to form a seal, which retardsflow of air and moisture into the box when it is closed. Hinge 47 isconstructed as a piano-type hinge which assists inthe sealing of thecontainer as well as in the connecting of the cover portion and bottomportion.

Soft, flat, sponge-like materials 50 are stacked in layers, with plantspecimens and flowers 51 arranged on tissue papers between the sponges.A number of the sponges with interposed botanical objects are stackedabove the uppermost rim of the bottom portion, so that the closing ofthe cover portion compresses the sponges and exerts pressure on theplant material.

A latch 53 is provided on bottom portion 55 to cooperate with thesponges and plants under pressure. A light pressure of from a few ouncesof up to several pounds is successful in drying the plants in such apress. Pressure may be varied by adding or removing sponge layers.Preferably, before any sponge layer is placed in the press 30, a thinlayer of drying material either loose or preferably in a packet isplaced on the bottom.

As an example, using inch thick sponges, in a press 4 inches deep with a/2 inch layer of drying agent on the bottom, good compression isachieved if the sponges extend about 1 or 1 /4 inches above the rim or/1 inch above the rim if another /2 inch packet of drying agent is heldwithin the lid.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional detail ofa packet 35 of drying material suchas used in a press, for example, in the press of FIG. 1. The packet isconstructed of a porous heat-resistant fabric 63 such as a fabric woven,knitted, or matted from glass fibers or strands of fibrous material.Edge portions 65 are overlapped and stitched with similar strands orbonded or fused to form the completed packet. Drying materials 60 withinthe packets are of a mesh size just larger than that which will passthrough interstices of the fabric 63.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional detail of a flower with a bulky center andthin petals compressed between two layers of sponge. Since the spongeconforms to both thick and thin parts of the plant, the flower drieswithout shrinkage or crushing.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificembodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatmodifications and variations may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is definedin the following claims.

I claim:

1. A quick drying flower press comprising a bottom portion with a baseand sidewalls, and having a cover portion with a top and complementarysidewalls fitting with the sidewalls of the bottom portion 17 a tightrelationship, a plurality of thin, flat, porous material, sponge-likelayers stacked in the container and fitting closely within the sidewallsof. the bottom portion and superimposed upon each other and extendingupward beyond an upper rim of the bottom portion sidewalls, botanicalobjects disposed between the superimposed thin sponge-like layers, andfastener means mounted on the bottom and cover portions for urging theportions together in compression of the thin sponges whereby thebotanical objects are pressed and dried while the container is closed.

2. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 1, further comprising adrying agent disposed in the bottom portion of the container, andwherein the plurality of sponge-like layers are stacked on the dryingmaterial on the bottom portion.

3. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the drying agent is encapsulated in a gas permeable materialwhich lies flat on the base in the bottom portion. 7

4. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 3, wherein the material isa rigid foraminous metal container.

5. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 2, wherein the material isa glass fiber fabric.

6. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drying agentis encased in a thin wire mesh element which lies flat, with thesponge-like layers within sidewalls of the press.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a removable foraminousmetal container positioned within the cover portion for holding aquantity of drying agent and exposing the quantity of drying agent tothe sponge-like layers.

8. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 7, wherein the containerfitting within the cover comprises a removable tray having a rigid wiremesh bottom for uniformly pressing downward on sponge-like layers andthe tray having an upper means for pressing against the top of the upperportion, whereby the sponge-like layers are compressed when the press isclosed.

9. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sponge-likelayers are thin polyurethane foam layers.

10. The method of quickly drying botanical objects comprising placing athin, flat, soft, sponge-like material in a press having surroundingsidewallswith the sponge-like material closely fitting the press,placing a porous paper material on the sponge-like material, placingbotanical objects on the paper, placing a second sheet of paper over thebotanical objects, placing a second sponge-like member on top of thesecond paper and adding successive layers of paper, botanical objects,paper and sponge material on lower elements until an uppermost spongeprotrudes above an upper rim of the sidewalls of the press, covering thepress and compressing the sponge-like materials, fastening the press incompressed position and maintaining the press in compressed condition.l1. The method of claim 10, further comprising placing drying agent onthe bottom of the press.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising placing a container ofdrying agent on the uppermost layer of the sponge-like material beforecovering the drying agent container and the sponges and compressingthem.

jects.

1. A quick drying flower press comprising a bottom portion with a baseand sidewalls, and having a cover portion with a top and complementarysidewalls fitting with the sidewalls of the bottom portion 17 a tightrelationship, a plurality of thin, flat, porous material, sponge-likelayers stacked in the container and fitting closely within the sidewallsof the bottom portion and superimposed upon each other and extendingupward beyond an upper rim of the bottom portion sidewalls, botanicalobjects disposed between the superimposed thin sponge-like layers, andfastener means mounted on the bottom and cover portions for urging theportions together in compression of the thin sponges whereby thebotanical objects are pressed and dried while the container is closed.2. The quick drying press apparatus of claim 1, further comprising adrying agent disposed in the bottom portion of the container, andwherein the plurality of sponge-like layers are stacked on the dryingmaterial on the bottom portion.
 3. The quick drying press apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein the drying agent is encapsulated in a gas permeablematerial which lies flat on the base in the bottom portion.
 4. The quickdrying press apparatus of claim 3, wherein the material is a rigidforaminous metal container.
 5. The quick drying press apparatus of claim2, wherein the material is a glass fiber fabric.
 6. The quick dryingpress apparatus of claim 1, wherein the drying agent is encased in athin wire mesh element which lies flat, with the sponge-like layerswithin sidewalls of the press.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a removable foraminous metal container positioned within thecover portion for holding a quantity of drying agent and exposing thequantity of drying agent to the sponge-like layers.
 8. The quick dryingpress apparatus of claim 7, wherein the container fitting within thecover comprises a removable tray having a rigid wire mesh bottom foruniformly pressing downward on sponge-like layers and the tray having anupper means for pressing against the top of the upper portion, wherebythe sponge-like layers are compressed when the press is closed.
 9. Thequick drying press apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sponge-like layersare thin polyurethane foam layers.
 10. The method of quickly dryingbotanical objects comprising placing a thin, flat, soft, sponge-likematerial in a press having surrounding sidewalls with the sponge-likematerial closely fitting the press, placing a porous paper material onthe sponge-like material, placing botanical objects on the paper,placing a second sheet of paper over the botanical objects, placing asecond sponge-like member on top of the second paper and addingsuccessive layers of paper, botanical objects, paper and sponge materialon lower elements until an uppermost sponge protrudes above an upper rimof the sidewalls of the press, covering the press and compressing thesponge-like materials, fastening the press in compressed position andmaintaining the press in compressed conditIon.
 11. The method of claim10, further comprising placing drying agent on the bottom of the press.12. The method of claim 10 further comprising placing a container ofdrying agent on the uppermost layer of the sponge-like material beforecovering the drying agent container and the sponges and compressingthem.
 13. Apparatus for quickly drying botanical objects comprisingadjacent layers of thin, sponge-like materials, botanical objectsdisposed between adjacent layers of sponge-like materials, and meansoverlying and underlying the adjacent layers for compressing thesponge-like materials on and around the botanical objects.